“If William the Conqueror…brought a Safeway plastic bag full of groceries with him when he took over England in 1066, it would still be decomposing.” L.A. has contemplated plastic’s inability to biodegrade, and has taken action. “As of Tuesday, the city’s January ban on single-use plastic bags for many big retailers extends to more than 7,000 small grocers, markets, convenience stores and drugstores.”

L.A. city council member Paul Koretz shows off the city’s new bag, surrounded by Heal the Bay’s Bag Monster James Alamillo, members of Green Vets LA, and Homeboy Industries. Photo Credit: Betsy Annas/City of Los Angeles

This is an exciting development as we continue to discover new ways banning plastic bags benefits our environment. In his recent article in the Los Angeles Times, Patt Morrison discusses three very positive ways the ban affects our world. First, is the impact on wildlife -mainly sea mammals and turtles- whose lives will be spared as they will no longer consume our plastic waste in oceans. Second, is aesthetic and the encouraging visual appearance of a world rid of stray plastic bags. Finally, Morrison touches on self-interest. This is a vital aspect for consumers to recognize, as many still don’t believe it serves our self interest to implement the bag ban. A recent poll showed that as of Tuesday only 65% of Sacramento Bee readers support bag bans -read more and take that poll here. Morrison goes on to explain that the 12 or 14 petroleum-product plastic bags typical shoppers use weekly can fuel a mile of driving. “Considering that Californians use billions of these bags a year, a lot of freeway miles (52 miles a year, at least) are going into a landfill.”